What’s the best way to make sure you take action on your travel ideas and dreams?
Write down your destinations.
According to a study done at Dominican University on goal setting, those who wrote their goals down and shared them were 62% more likely to have accomplished them or were halfway there.
We’ll take that.
If you start by simply creating your Travel Bucket List, even if there are no immediate plans, you’re on your way.
I heard one person say they had created their list as a child many decades ago and were still checking things off from that one.
We run through life, inspired to visit places or experience things by random conversations, articles, media or history. When we stop to plan a vacation or brainstorm a weekend, it’s more inspiring to peruse your past ideas and goal list than let the Travel Deal of the Day drive your research.
In fact, unless your recall is top notch, it’s impossible to remember all those super cool, whimsical, offbeat destinations that at one time were labeled a “must visit.”
Just like the famous quote: A goal without a plan is just a dream.
What’s easiest for you to start and maintain your travel bucket list? Following are tips to track your Travel Bucket List whether you’re technical, tactile or visual.
The best 2019 Travel Bucket List Apps
There have been dozens of Android apps and iOS apps that have come and gone over the years. Today, the ones with great reviews and staying power are easy to use and have regular feature updates. The risk is the “come and gone” factor. Even the mighty Google Trips is gone. With over five million downloads and an average of 4 star reviews it is being discontinued as of August of 2019 much to the frustration of those who have invested time using it.
Since apps that become too granular and specific do not generally survive, it may be helpful to broaden the scope to general life goal apps and bucket lists, instead of travel destination specifics. For example, if your life bucket list includes opening an animal rescue farm, the most interesting travel for you may be touring amazing sanctuaries like the Best Friends Animal Society in Utah.where you can stay to mingle longer with rescues.
The best way to find your perfect app is to search by device then sort by reviews and number of downloads. Install it, then play with it for a few minutes. Most people make a decision within the first few swipes whether the app will work well for them or not. If it’s not for you, uninstall and try the next one.
The next point is made millions of times by app reviewers. “If only” the app had “this” or “that” it would be perfect. Barring basic or technical problems, there is no perfect app and custom features for every user. Travel and organization is a complex and individual venture.
Simple Digitized Travel Bucket Lists
The apps with cross device compatibility and storage functionality like Google Drive (Docs, Sheets), ICloud Drive or Microsoft OneDrive let you update your lists on your favorite program from desktop or phone. The appeal of this technique is that you can start a more comprehensive list from your desktop and keyboard and then do simple updates from your phone. Since we’re a mobile world, you’ll want to pick a program that is easy to poke and jab updates from your phone. Native and free note apps like iOS Notes, Evernote, Google Keep are simple and easy to update from your phone.
Bucket Destinations on Old School Maps
Sacrifice a wall in your place and get out the colored push pins. Color coded pins turn a wall map into where you’ve been and where you want to go. It’s also a great conversation starter. Who isn’t attracted to a large map pointing out the places they’ve been and want to go too?
Bucket List Inspiration
Type “travel bucket list” into any search engine and you’ll quickly be adding to your own list with the most exotic, interesting places and experiences you’ve never heard of. Or, maybe you’re content to cover the basics.
- Swimming with pigs in tropical waters? Check. Be sure to stock your boat with extra lunch for your swimming visitors.
- Taking a selfie with the stone Presidents? Check. Mount Rushmore’s Black Hills of South Dakota attract nearly three million other visitors a year.
- Drive a Nascar? Check. Easy to do in Speedways across the United States. If you go slow, no worries…when in Vegas, your speeds stay in Vegas.
- Slurp oysters where they were harvested at a beach picnic? Check. Bring your own bottle of hot sauce and a blanket.
- See the world’s oldest printed bible in person. Check. The Library of Congress in Washington DC features documents, books and architecture that will make you forget that there is a closing time.
- View the deadliest animals on an African Safari, the hippos. Check. Who knew hippos were so badass…we thought it was the roaring lions.
- Eat a free lunch while doing market research at Costco. Check. Okay, we had to add a super easy and free item. The bonus is that it involves eating.